When asked point blank if Paramount had shown any interest, or if there has been any progress on “Star Trek: Legacy,” Matalas was blunt, saying:
“There’s not. They have ‘Star Trek’ that they are making and they only have so much money and streaming space. There’s currently not, but we’re looking forward to whatever the ‘Star Trek’ universe brings … and never say never.”
That is a diplomatic way of expressing pessimism. One should recall that, back in 2017, Paramount+ was putting all its eggs into one “Star Trek”-shaped basket. There was a moment when six “Star Trek” shows were running simultaneously (“Discovery,” “Short Treks,” “Picard,” “Prodigy,” “Lower Decks,” “Strange New Worlds”). After the Streaming Wars proved to be unprofitable, Paramount+ began paring down their Trek offerings. “Discovery,” “Picard,” and “Prodigy” are all over or ending soon. “Short Treks” seems to have stopped after a few animated shorts last year. Additionally, a planned “Section 31” series was shortened into a single TV movie. The future, Paramount seemed to be saying, will have fewer Treks and not more.
Paramount announced they’d be making “Starfleet Academy,” which is a clear indicator of where their priorities lie. They will continue making “Strange New Worlds” and “Lower Decks” (aka the good ones) for as long as they can and then will settle down to focus on one or two Trek shows.
In such an environment, there doesn’t seem to be a place for “Star Trek: Legacy.” Matalas may have been clever about his backdoor pilot, but Paramount didn’t take the bait.
Matalas continued to discuss the current state of Trek, and how fond he was of the “Legacy” setting and premise despite everything.